phunwin
The name's Bond...James Bond.
Amidst all the inane smack talk is an interesting debate: is Tyson one of the top 10 heavyweights of all time? Frankly, I think it's a good question. I seriously doubt he makes top 5. Other things being equal, does Tyson in his prime beat Ali, Louis, Frazier, Foreman, Johnson or Marciano in their primes? Maybe he beats Marciano, if only because Marciano was a very undersized champion. But then, if we're making things equal, we give Rocky 6 months of modern training and bulking up, and then it's a very tough call. I'm not sure he would have beaten Larry Holmes in his prime, either; the version he beat was a worn-out old man.
Tyson probably belongs in the next tier with Lewis, Dempsey, Liston, Patterson and Holyfield. Even his biggest detractors can't deny that the pre-Douglas Tyson was an absolute force of nature. No, the quality of his competition wasn't the greatest, but you could say that for a lot of great champions. Marciano beat some undersized heavyweights and a way-past-his prime Joe Louis. Holmes beat a way-past-his-prime Muhammad Ali. Lewis was heavyweight champion at a time when the heavyweight division was maybe the worst it's ever been. Tyson beat the guys he beat in such a dominating fashion that it doesn't seem fair to deride him for his opponents; a man can only fight the guys out there.
Tyson probably belongs in the next tier with Lewis, Dempsey, Liston, Patterson and Holyfield. Even his biggest detractors can't deny that the pre-Douglas Tyson was an absolute force of nature. No, the quality of his competition wasn't the greatest, but you could say that for a lot of great champions. Marciano beat some undersized heavyweights and a way-past-his prime Joe Louis. Holmes beat a way-past-his-prime Muhammad Ali. Lewis was heavyweight champion at a time when the heavyweight division was maybe the worst it's ever been. Tyson beat the guys he beat in such a dominating fashion that it doesn't seem fair to deride him for his opponents; a man can only fight the guys out there.